Theme: Do you consider Him Faithful?
“By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.” (Hebrews 11:11)
Thought:
I have been thinking about who in my life has best shown me what faithfulness looks like. My parents are the first example. My mom faithfully made our meals, showed us love, and kept an eye on our room to make sure it was clean. My dad was a faithful, hard worker who provided for us, was a good driver, and was faithful to show up if we started throwing peaches when we were supposed to be working. There were other people in my life I “could count on,” but we all fall short of being totally faithful.
Then I turn to God and His Word. In the Old Testament, the Bible speaks of His faithfulness in many verses. One favorite verse is Lamentations 3:21-23, where the author looks for and desires God’s lovingkindness and compassion.
“This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”
As Joshua reflected on God caring for Israel coming into the promised land, he wrote, “Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.” (Joshua 21:45)
Paul gives us some of the proof of God’s faithfulness in the New Testament, in Romans 1. In verse one, he writes, “Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh.” God’s faithfulness is first referred to in relation to Christ being a descendant of David, which fulfilled Scripture.
Then, in verse 4, Paul writes, “who (Christ) was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord.” God faithfully provided a messiah as promised, demonstrating His faithfulness in His prophetic words and His power to fulfill any promise, even raising Jesus from the dead.
Then in Hebrews 10, we see the implications for our lives of God’s faithfulness in providing the promised Savior.
- “Since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (10:22)
- “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for He who promised is faithful.” (10:23)
- “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.” (10:24)
When we see God’s faithfulness in giving us a Savior who conquered death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, let us draw near to God, hold fast our confession of hope, and stimulate and exhort one another to love and good deeds. God is our greatest example of faithfulness, and His faithfulness has great implications.
Now, back to Hebrews 11. In Hebrews 11:11, we come to a key verse containing one of the most important phrases in the chapter. In this verse, we see the central truth behind every example of true faith in the entire Bible.
“Since she considered Him faithful who had promised.”
The example of faith the author of Hebrews presents to us in this verse is Sarah, Abraham’s wife. Humanly speaking, she was beyond childbearing age, yet God had promised Abraham that He would give him a son through her. (Genesis 17:16 and 19) We know Abraham was a man of faith, but from this verse in Hebrews and in Genesis, we are given a glimpse of Sarah’s faith, and the author of Hebrews highlights Sarah to bring this truth out.
This is a key statement for all of Hebrews 11 for at least these reasons:
1. Though Old Testament characters are the illustrations of faith, the focal point of all these is God and His character. Abraham acted in faith because he believed God was who He had revealed Himself to him. He trusted in God because God’s character had been shown him.
2. Our “faith” is seen as we focus our attention on one who is faithful. When we think clearly and decisively that God’s character and words can be fully trusted, we can act in faith as we follow God. Noah trusted in God’s righteousness and therefore right to judge mankind, and in God’s mercy and compassion in promising to save him and his family. He believed God’s promise to bring a flood to judge men and in God’s instructions; thus, he built the ark.
3. God is someone who promises, or proclaims both truth and His intentions. God reveals Himself to us and desires that we know Him. Everything He proclaims is true, and everything He promises will happen. Enoch believed that God was, and that the most important thing in his life was to seek Him.
All of this motivates me to apply Hebrews 11:6: to come to God often, prayerfully, in His written Word; to believe everything God reveals about Himself in His Word; and to seek God. I seek God as I meditate on His Word, asking Him to reveal more of Himself to me. I imagine that as Enoch “walked with God,” he asked him many questions and listened intently. As we read God’s Word, the Holy Spirit will take it and pierce our very soul and spirit, showing us how we need to grow (Hebrews 4:12). He will do a transforming work in us, as promised in Romans 12:1-2 and Philippians 3:21.
Reflection:
Do you grasp the amazing opportunity we have to walk with God, to enjoy His presence as His Spirit works in us to build our faith in Him and show Himself and His faithfulness to us as we seek Him?
As you spend time with brothers and sisters in Christ, do you realize these are opportunities to build up one another by each other’s faith? (Romans 1:12) Wherever you are in your Bible reading, pick something out that God has encouraged you with and share it with another person to encourage their faith.
Prayer:
Father, thank You for the blessings I have in Christ. Thank You for giving me faith to trust in You. Give me eyes to see more clearly and a hunger and desire to seek after You.
July 29, 2026
Leave a Reply